BONNYVILLE – It’s not the kind of infrastructure most residents ever see, but if Bonnyville’s Southeast Lift Station stops working, the entire community could feel the impact.

That reality was front and centre as Town Council approved increasing the budget for the Southeast Lift Station Upgrade to $6.323 million, after construction bids came in higher than expected.

The project was originally budgeted at just under $5 million. The Town received three compliant bids, with 640 Earthworks Ltd. coming in as the lowest bidder.

Once construction, engineering, contract administration and a 10 percent contingency are factored in, the Town is now looking at a $6.323-million project.

And this isn’t a project council has much room to put off.

The Southeast Lift Station is the only lift station that pumps Bonnyville’s wastewater to the lagoon. A major failure or extended shutdown could impact the Town’s ability to provide wastewater services.

“I don’t think we have a choice,” Councillor Phil Kushnir said during the Sept. 21 meeting. “This is one of our biggest lift stations and we cannot be without it.”

Why did the price climb?

CAO Quinton Wintfley told council the tender came back higher than the Town expected, eating into money previously set aside for engineering and contingency costs.

Part of the challenge is simply what major infrastructure costs right now.

“We’ve noticed a substantial cost in piping. We’ve noticed a substantial cost in the actual equipment that’s going to be brought in,” Wintfley said.

Pumps, steel products and equipment coming from the United States are becoming more expensive and, in some cases, harder to get.

“The cost is going through the roof,” Wintfley said, pointing to tariffs and availability as additional pressures.

That makes timing important.

Wintfley said the Town is trying to lock in equipment and pricing before it gets hit with further increases.

“One of the challenges is making sure that we can lock this in as soon as possible to make sure that we can get the order in,” he said.

Wintfley added that he believed the order had already been pre-placed, which should help protect the Town from a significant additional jump in costs.

Does the Town actually expect to spend the full $6.3 million?

Not necessarily.

Kushnir questioned the 10 percent construction contingency included in the new budget and asked whether the Town typically uses all of the contingency money set aside for projects.

Administration said it often doesn’t.

“There is a chance we might not use all of it and we probably wouldn’t,” council heard, but having a contingency in place is considered necessary before entering into a project of this size.

Wintfley also noted the Town often comes in under budget on projects, but said the current economic uncertainty makes that buffer particularly important.

The Town could have delayed the project or put it back out for tender later, but doing so could expose Bonnyville to further price increases and delays in getting specialized equipment.

Kushnir ultimately moved to increase the budget to $6.323 million, with the additional money coming from the Town’s 2026 ID 349 funding.

Council carried the motion.